Tuesday, November 13, 2012

A record-setting fall sports season has allowed Calvin to build an early lead in the MIAA Commissionerís Cup Standings. Through the recently completed MIAA fall sports season, Calvin leads the standings with 100 points, four points better than Hope. In the MIAA Womenís All-Sports Standings, Calvin has a first place total of 58 points with Hope second with 53. Hope leads the MIAA Menís All-Sports standings with 43 points, one point better than Calvin. This fall, Calvin captured a record six MIAA titles Ė winning conference crowns in menís and womenís soccer, volleyball, menís and womenís cross country, menís golf and volleyball.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Senior Lizzie Kamp and junior Megan Rietema have been named first team Division III All-Americans by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. The awards were announced this afternoon. Both players will be honored at an awards banquet Wednesday night in Holland on the campus of Hope College. A native of Orland Park, Illinois, and a graduate of Chicago Christian High School, Kamp was a second team All-American a year ago. This fall, she has posted a hitting percentage of .319 wile averaging 4.43 kills-per-set. She also averages 2.02 digs-per-set and has racked up 32 service aces and 45 blocks on the season. Last weekend, she was named to the all-tournament team of the regional hosted by Calvin. Earlier this fall was named the MIAA’s Most Valuable Player and landed a spot on the All-MIAA first team for the third straight year. She was a four-time MIAA Player of the Week selection during the fall and was named to the Otterbein/Capital Tournament all-tournament team earlier in the fall. A native of Grand Rapids and a graduate of Grand Rapids Christian High School, Rietema is receiving first team All-America honors for the second straight year. She is averaging 10.51 assists and 2.17 digs-per-set from her setter’s position. She is also averaging nearly one block-per-set and has 25 services aces on the year along with an attack percentage of .325. Rietema was named the Most Outstanding Player of the regional tournament hosted by Calvin last weekend. She was also named to the All-MIAA first team and was selected to the all-tournament team of the Wittenberg Fall Classic earlier in the fall.

Monday, November 12, 2012

The Calvin men’s and women’s cross country teams are preparing to compete at the NCAA III Championships this Saturday in Terre Haute, Indiana. The Calvin men’s cross country team will enter the national finals ranked third nationally while the Calvin women’s cross country team is ranked 15th. The Calvin Sports Information office caught up with head Calvin cross country coach Brian Diemer and assistant coach Al Hoekstra for their insights on the upcoming national meet. To listen to the audio interviews, click on the licks below:

Monday, November 12, 2012

Calvin’s Samantha Klaasen, a senior from Holland (Holland Christian HS), secured a spot in next Marchís NCAA regionals in one-meter diving Friday with a score of 258.14 points in a nonconference meet against NCAA Division II power Wayne State. Klaasen is being honored as Athlete of the Week for the first time in her career.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

The eight-team field for the NCAA III volleyball finals at Hope College is set. In addition to Calvin, teams competing will be Elmhurst, Salisbury, Clarkson, St. Thomas, Christopher Newport, the University of Massachusetts-Boston and the University of Puget Sound. Calvin will face PCalvin’s match against Puget Sound has been scheduled for an 8 p.m. start. Calvin’s match against Puget Sound has been scheduled for an 8 p.m. start. All tickets must be ordered or purchased through the Hope Box Office. The online link for the Hope Box Office can be found at: Hope Athletics Box Office

Sunday, November 11, 2012

The Calvin women’s cross country team is headed back to the NCAA III Championships. The Knights received an at-large berth when the official championship field was announced this afternoon. The Calvin women will be making their 23rd appearance at the NCAA III Championships which ranks third on the all-time NCAA III women’s cross country list for team appearances. It also marks the eighth straight year that the Calvin women have earned a berth to the national meet. At the Great Lakes Regional meet on Saturday, Calvin took third with 105 points behind second place Oberlin (95 points) and first place Hope (91 points). Only the top two teams at the regional meet receive automatic berths to the national meet while teams finishing in spots 3-to-5 are eligible for at-large selection.The Calvin men’s cross country team will also be competing at the national meet next Saturday. The Calvin men took first place at Saturday’s Great Lakes Regional - hosted by Anderson University - with 36 points. Next Saturday’s national meet is scheduled to be held in Terre Haute, Indiana. Rose-Hulman Institute will serve as the host institution.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

In a match fitting of two top-ranked teams, the Calvin womenís volleyball secured a 23-25, 25-18, 23-25, 26-24, 15-12 victory over Wittenberg in front of more than 1,700 fans inside Calvinís Van Noord Arena. The victory gives top-ranked Calvin a berth in the national quarterfinals next Thursday in Holland, Michigan. Calvin will face an opponent yet to be determined. Calvin’s quarterfinal match next Thursday will take place at Hopeís DeVos Fieldhouse. Calvin will be making its second trip to the national finals in the last three years. Saturdayís match between Calvin and second-ranked Wittenberg marked the fifth meeting between the two non-conference rivals in a regional final including the third consecutive year. In 2010, Calvin defeated the Tigers in four sets in Springfield, Ohio. In 2011, Wittenberg returned the favor, defeating the Knights in four sets in Grand Rapids. Calvin will find out its national quarterfinal opponent and time of its Thursday match later this weekend. Information on the national finals at Hope can be found online at: Hope Volleyball Nationals Website

Saturday, November 10, 2012

A night after upsetting Aurora University in the first round of the Division III national tournament, the Calvin women’s soccer team looked to upset host Loras College Saturday night in Dubuque, Iowa. Unfortunately, Calvin fell to Loras 4-2. The loss is the final game in the careers of seniors Francesca Smith and Liz Cancel. The women’s soccer team finishes the year 16-5-1. Calvin was the MIAA regular season and tournament champion despite being picked to finish fifth in the preseason poll.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

ANDERSON, IN - The second-ranked Calvin men’s cross country team captured a Great Lakes Regional title on Saturday with a first place score of 36 points. The win advances the Knights to next week’s NCAA III Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana. The Great Lakes Regional title is the 17th consecutive regional crown for the Calvin men. Calvin will be making its 28th appearance at the national meet in men’s cross country which ranks third on the all-time NCAA III list. Meanwhile the fifth-ranked Calvin women’s cross country team took third with 103 points. Hope took first place with 91 points with Oberlin second with 95 points. The top two teams receive automatic spots to the NCAA III Championships while the next three teams are eligible for at-large consideration. The Calvin women’s cross country team will now have to wait until Sunday to see if it receives an at-large bid.